In the diabetic world, its all about the carbs! Carb counting is a way to ensure appropriate blood sugar levels. Add in the plate method and you will surely be on the right track.
Carb Counting
Carbohydrate (carb) counting involves keeping track of the amount of carbs you eat and drink every day (NIDDK, 2016). Carbs turn into glucose in your body, and therefore affect your blood sugar levels more than other foods do (NIDDK, 2016). To be successful at carb counting, you'll need to learn which foods have carbs by reading the nutrition labels (NIDDK, 2016). Try to limit carbs with added sugars or those with refined grains such as white bread and white rice (NIDDK, 2016). Eat more leafy greens, fruit, whole grains, and low-fat (NIDDK, 2016). The daily recommended amount of carboydrates is 45-55% of total calories consumed in a day (Delahanty, 2018). However, there is controversy about this recommended amount of carbohydrates among researchers (Delahanty, 2018). Talk to your healthcare team. You and your healthcare team can come up with the number of daily carbohydrates that is best for you!
The Plate Method
The National Institute of Diabetics and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), suggests the plate method be used for mainly lunch and dinner (2016). The plate method helps to control portion sizes, showing the amount of each food group you should eat (NIDDK, 2016). Using a 9-inch plate, non starchy vegetables should take up half the plate, a meat of protein on 1/4 the plate, and a grain or starch on the other 1/4 (NIDDK, 2016).
Comentarios